Goodbye to all that…

I came to New York essentially a tourist, my nose plasterd to a window of the (newly opened) Gansevoort hotel looking desperately at the rooftop of the Soho House for a celeb siting (no luck). On a hot summer day in August of 2004, I moved into 35 5th Avenue, likely the nicest address I’ve had in New York, in the midst of the Republican National Convention, no less. More aptly, my parents moved me in while I sat fairly comatose wondering what I’d gotten myself into. This was pretty far from Tennessee, and Mary Kate and Ashley were no where to be found.

I became a doctor (only metaphorically speaking) when I learned the limits of medicine. I (in hindsight – foreshadowing into a career as a gynecologist?) likely ruptured an ovarian cyst after seeing “The Devil Wears Prada” at the Regal theater on 14th Street and vowed not to set foot anywhere near an ER unless I wanted “a CT scan, an EKG, and a 6 hour wait.” Working at Bellevue in another hot, sticky NYC summer, I learned not everyone is so happy to see a doctor, especially in the ER. And, weirdly, I still wanted to pursue this whole thing…

I became a New Yorker when I realized the public was my private space, I started saying “on line” instead of “in line” (much to my horror), and when I started to think anyone was crazy to not think this was the best city in the world.

New York – you’ve been my greatest love story, my confidante/friend/enemy. You saw me go from college co-ed with a dream to become a dermatologist to a full-fledged doctor pursuing a fellowship in a career I didn’t even know existed when I moved here. You took my all of my 20s and a lot of my money. I will miss you, dearly.

They say (ps: who is they, anyways?) that if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, right? Let’s test that out.

See you in LA!

FOR POSTERITY – MEGGIE AND NYC – A BRIEF TIMELINE: 

1998 – A 12 year old me sees “You’ve Got Mail.” Vows to live in NYC. Makes AIM screen name “ShopGirl186”

2003 – Mary Kate and Ashley apply to NYU. With the idea that, “if its good enough for them its good enough for me,” a 17 year old Meggie applies to NYU, thinking it is a public school

4/1/2004 – Receives letter that she got into NYU. Quickly realizes its not a public school. Entire family drives (the first of many) to NYC to check out the place “to make sure this is where you want to go.” Misses senior prom. Does not at all regret that.

8/2004 – Moves in. Really, my parents moved me in.

10/2005 – Starts first volunteer position at Bellevue Hospital in the pediatrics department.

6/2006 – Works in the Bellevue ER. Is not deterred by consistent and overwhelming smell of urine. Still wants to be a doctor.

7/2007 – Accepted to NYU Medical School

2008 – Graduates college and starts medical school. Thinks that “medical school is like drinking from a fire hydrant – hard” — IF ONLY SHE KNEW ABOUT AN OB/GYN RESIDENCY, she’d know how great this was

2009 – Takes up running, which becomes her 2nd greatest love story. Also, gets a twitter account, which she had no idea will lead her to her best friend.

2010 – Decides she does not want to be a dermatologist and, instead, a reproductive endocrinologist. Has “life crisis” because “this was not the plan.”

2011 – Decides to do a year of research in infertility. Takes first group fitness class (SoulCycle) and quickly realizes all of her extra money will go towards this (she’s an easy sell/addict).

2013 – Graduates medical school. Qualifies for Boston and still unclear how she did this. Starts residency. Enters “the foxhole” of residency.

2016 – Matches into REI Fellowship at USC

2017 – Graduates residency, emerges from foxhole. Moves to LA.